Aztec Labs absorbs ZKPassport, code stays open

Aztec Labs has acquired ZKPassport but will keep the privacy-focused passport-scanning app fully open source.

Aztec Labs has acquired ZKPassport but will keep the privacy-focused passport-scanning app fully open source. The deal preserves the iOS NFC scanner and Noir circuits.

The Ethereum layer-2 privacy network confirmed the acquisition on Wednesday. ZKPassport, built on Aztec’s Noir programming language, lets users prove identity attributes from government-issued IDs without revealing the underlying personal data.

Why the Aztec Labs deal keeps ZKPassport public

ZKPassport works by scanning the NFC chip embedded in a passport or national ID, generating a zero-knowledge proof on the user’s phone, and disclosing only the specific attribute a service needs.

The app first gained traction on Aztec’s testnet, where it solved a Sybil-attack problem that was choking the validator set. Within weeks of integration, the network lifted its daily quota of new sequencers.

By keeping the codebase open source, Aztec Labs retains the public-good framing that grew the project. Michael Elliot’s ZKPassport had positioned itself as a non-profit identity solution before the deal.

“In the future, all crypto will be private,” Aztec Labs CEO Zac Williamson told crypto.news in a prior interview, framing ZKPassport-style verification as one path to compliant, privacy-preserving on-chain identity.

How the iOS app fits Aztec’s wider stack

ZKPassport’s iOS app already plugs into Ethereum, Base, Aztec, and other EVM chains through on-chain verifiers. The acquisition consolidates those rails under one product team while keeping integration permissionless for outside developers.

Aztec’s broader push has centred on programmable privacy. Its Ignition Chain went live in November 2025 as the first decentralised L2 on Ethereum, and the network entered alpha with a full execution environment for private smart contracts shortly after.

ZKPassport’s Noir circuits also underpinned Aztec’s recent $AZTEC token sale, where they ran compliant sanctions checks during the December 2025 continuous-clearing auction without leaking participant data.

That use case proved the tech in production. The acquisition formalises a relationship that had already passed multiple live audits, with Consensys Diligence and TU Vienna both contributing security reviews.

What the deal signals for ZK identity competition

The market for privacy-preserving identity has tightened in 2026. World, Self Protocol, Holonym, Rarimo, and zkEmail all run variations of the same playbook: client-side proofs, document scans, selective disclosure.

ZKPassport’s distinguishing feature was always its document-native approach, leaning on the cryptographic signature already baked into ePassports and government IDs.

By absorbing ZKPassport while keeping it open, Aztec Labs effectively claims that infrastructure tier without forcing competitors off the technology. The bet is that programmable privacy wins through composability rather than enclosure.

Aztec’s testnet attracted more than 24,000 validators through 2025, with ZKPassport-gated humanity checks playing a central role in the decentralisation push across rival privacy networks. The acquisition aligns the two roadmaps for the network’s full mainnet phase.